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Police and firefighters salute as an ambulance arrives at the medical examiner's office carrying the body of Chicago Police officer Samuel Jimenez, who was killed during a shooting at Mercy Hospital earlier in the day, Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in Chicago. Armando L. Sanchez, AP

Law enforcement officials work near Mercy Hospital in Chicago on Nov. 19, 2018. A shooting at the Chicago hospital has wounded multiple people, including a suspect and a police officer, authorities said. ZBIGNIEW BZDAK, Chicago Tribune via AP

Praise for two Purdue University graduates and a police officer killed in a Chicago hospital shooting came from Indiana and beyond Tuesday.

Police said Tamara O’Neal, 38, an emergency room doctor formerly of LaPorte, Indiana, was the target of the assault. The suspect was O’Neal’s ex-fiancee Juan Lopez, who police said started shooting after an altercation Monday afternoon in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital on Chicago’s South Side.

Those who knew the women took to social media in the hours that followed to share memories of their fallen friends and offer words of condolence to their families.

I knew her, trained with her, saved lives with her and tonight, tried to save her life. Tonight, I broke down in front of my coworkers when we lost her, and tonight I held hands with her mother in prayer. Tonight, we lost a beautiful, resilient, passionate doc. Keep singing, TO. pic.twitter.com/NLQpX1rZIn

I was a close friend of Dayna Less. One of her and her family’s favorite things together was celebrating their love for the Cubbies. ♥️ Please pray for her Mother, Father, and Fiancé during this horrific time. pic.twitter.com/4bvreD32gS

“We are proud of Tamara and Dayna for the lives of service they chose to pursue,” Purdue president Mitch Daniels said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful and admiring of officer Jimenez for his sacrificial bravery that spared other innocent lives.”

O’Neal graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in pre-medicine, before going on to pursue a medical degree.

In 2014, when she was named a resident scholar through the National Medical Fellowships program, O’Neal’s biography said that during her time at Purdue she volunteered as an after-school tutor and mentor for at-risk youth in middle school and high school.

"I knew her, trained with her, saved lives with her and tonight, tried to save her life,” a fellow doctor, John Purakal tweeted. “Tonight, I broke down in front of my coworkers when we lost her, and tonight I held hands with her mother in prayer. Tonight, we lost a beautiful, resilient, passionate doc. Keep singing, TO."

Less, from Saint John, Indiana, was engaged to be married to her high school sweetheart June 1, 2019. She overcame a severe headache disorder that required a series of surgeries.

A statement from her father Brian said Dayna “only wanted to help others and the less fortunate. … She spent time in Kenya helping at a hospital. She started a blog, www.mydaughtersheadache.com, and helped hundreds of children with a similar affliction find hope and help.

“She loved helping others. She was good at her job because it helped others. She was forged in her own adversity which made her the strongest person I will ever know. … We pray for the other families touched by this tragedy and the many, many others in recent months. May her memory be eternal and that we can finally learn how to stop these senseless acts."

Less graduated from the Purdue College of Pharmacy in May 2018.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Eric Barker, dean of Purdue’s College of Pharmacy, said. “Today, we’ve remembered Dayna Less as a kind, compassionate, beautiful soul that had dedicated her life to helping others. It’s so tragic that a young person with her life in front of her has had her life ended in this senseless manner. The Purdue Pharmacy family along with the Purdue community grieve together alongside her family and friends in this most difficult time.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the incident started with an altercation outside the hospital between O'Neal and Lopez. An acquaintance of O'Neal arrived at the scene, and the gunman lifted his shirt, displaying a handgun before shooting at O'Neal.

Johnson said Lopez also fired shots at officers who had arrived at the scene and struck their squad car before running into the hospital. Additional officers arrived at the scene and engaged Lopez for several minutes inside the hospital.

Jimemez was married with three children. Another officer was hit by a bullet in his holster but was not seriously injured, police said.